Dr. Paul Currie named academic dean

     The new Academic Dean of Allied Health Sciences at Hazard Community and Technical College is working to recruit, deliver, and manage college programs. Dr. Paul Currie began his new role this fall semester. He first began at HCTC in 2003 as a faculty member. Since that time, he has demonstrated his commitment to teaching excellence and creating new opportunities for students that lead to good jobs.

     “HCTC is the most affordable option around. I have been delighted to see so many of our students excel and move on to the university level or immediately become employed. Students tell us repeatedly that they felt very prepared for continued education, or a job, because of the education offered at HCTC,” Dr. Currie noted.

     “We have strong faculty members who are dedicated to seeing student success. That is just one of the many strengths of our Allied Health programs. I look forward to seeing even greater success in the future,” he added.

     HCTC students are able to find jobs in the allied health fields, which include Nursing, Radiography, Physical Therapist Assistant, Surgical Technology, and Sonography. Graduates of these programs praise the faculty, equipment, and the clinical experience they gain. Most recently, HCTC has added a Paramedic degree program and a Telehealth Technician certificate program.

     Since becoming dean, the Nursing Program has already announced plans to offer an evening program, beginning in the spring 2018 semester. “We are responsive to the need in the region by offering this option. Those who have full-time jobs now have a new opportunity to learn from our dedicated faculty,” he said.

     Dr. Currie’s excellence has repeatedly been recognized by the college. His past honors include HCTC's John Brown Outstanding Faculty award for 2012, Division Excellence award, 2009 and 2015 New Horizon Outstanding Faculty award, and he is a previous faculty representative on the HCTC Board of Directors.

     Besides his excellence in the classroom, Dr. Currie has served as Distance Learning Coordinator, and enrollment in those classes increased significantly while he was in that role. He developed common online Human Anatomy and Physiology classes and assisted in the development and training of faculty in distance learning.

     Previously, Dr. Currie was chosen to teach in HCTC’s Next Generation Academy based at the Lees College Campus in Jackson. This select program enrolls 16 of the top students at Breathitt County High School who will be graduating with both their high school diploma and an associate degree from HCTC.

     Dr. Currie holds a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia, as well as bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry from Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in North Carolina. He has studied abroad at James Cook University of North Queensland in Australia and in Mochima Bay in Venezuela. He has participated in continuing education events in Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, and Alaska. He is working on a second terminal degree – an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Counselor Education from Eastern Kentucky University.